1592

One of Detroit's most enduring nicknames--the Motor City--underscores how
synonymous this city was with great feats of industrial manufacturing, unprecedented
economic success, and the American dream; it's permanently linked to the nation's
obsession with big, fast cars. Detroit made 'em and we bought 'em. Good jobs with
decent union wages and benefits provided by Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler (AKA
the Big Three) once allowed hundreds of thousands of poor and working class
Americans to become middle class and realize the promise of the American dream (in
the 1950s, Detroit had the highest median income and the highest rates of home
ownership in the US). But the Big Three's industry dominance was its downfall--the
companies that were once innovative became lazy and complacent (leaving expensive
but forward-thinking investment in new technological developments to the Europeans
and Japanese) and the oil crisis of the late 70s drove it all home. Japanese auto
companies in particular were able to capitalize on the new reality, with their
inexpensive, highly fuel-efficient, and extremely well-designed and reliable cars
(everything the US-made cars were not). Faced with fierce competition (and unable
to design and build cars that could compete) and following the trend of other
manufacturing industries that placed profits over the people in the communities that
had contributed to their success, the Big Three shuttered factories, laid off tens of
thousands of people, and exported their jobs overseas (where they could pay rock bottom wages and not worry about providing benefits). This wholesale and permanent
elimination of jobs (and Ronald Reagan's anti-urban policies didn't help) caused
Detroit's middle class to move elsewhere in search of jobs; the rich to flee for
exclusive enclaves in the suburbs; and all this white flight left the permanent
underclass (Detroit proper is now a largely African American city with nearly a third of
its population living under the poverty line) to eke out an existence in the decaying
ruins of a once magnificent city.
From the context of this dying metropolis comes 1592, which has forged a new subgenre
of this familiar Jamaican sound: Detroit Rocksteady--a mash-up of funky
Motown, old school garage-rock, and early reggae. Dark, dread-filled, bitter, defiant,
yet ultimately hopeful--it's music to help keep your chin up in an ever meaner and
bleaker America--where our great diversity is used to divide us, and concern for the
common good and empathy for anyone else (forget about the poor and downtrodden,
they're not even on the radar!) seems to be in very short supply.
It should hardly be a surprise that This One's for You All is steeped in history--how
else can you know where you're going unless you know where you've been? And how
can you avoid repeating the same mistakes if you're unaware of the past? The great
heavy title track hoists a pint in tribute to many of extraordinary Jamaican musicians
who created/defined the ska and reggae that 1592 play so well ("For Alton, Coxsone,
Tubby/Perry and the Dragonnaires/Skatalites, Soul Brothers/backing everywhere").
The angry funkified rock-reggae of "Old Crew" bemoans how the values of previous
generations that served us all so well seem to have been lost or abandoned over time:
"They fought in all the wars/They built all the cars/and left behind a way/for us to
live with pride...Whatever happened to the old crew/the ones our father looked up
to?/Whatever happened to the old crew?/I sure don't see it in you."
"Detroit Why"--with its Prince-like guitar lines that seemingly squeal in pain--
recognizes all the wasted potential, missed opportunities, broken promises, and
dashed hopes contained within the city limits, but posits that the people and place
are worth saving ("Why must you break so many hearts/and tear us apart/Detroit
why?/Let's stand up to fight/and walk into the light"). Amidst all the rubble and
despair also come several wonderful love songs, the almost shockingly bright, singalong-
with-the-chorus "Tomorrow is Another Day," which wants to capture the
"everything's perfect" feeling people have when they first fall in love, and the sweetsalvation found when love makes all our burdens a bit lighter in "Midnight."
Several other key cuts on This One's for You All are concerned with protecting others
from pain and suffering (the Skinnerbox-like "Stepping on a Stone"); the importance of
persevering, even if you're confused and your destination's unknown ("That's It"); and a
declaration that the status quo just isn't working for us anymore ("It's Time," which
has a great heavy metal-like riff, and lyrics like: "The way we construct the notion of
self/keeps pushing the boundaries/and destroying all the wealth"--this is not about a
loss of material riches, but probably each person's creative potential and ability to
make the world a better place for all of us).
The album closes with the slinky and rhythmic "What's Left for Me," which accepts the
responsibility that comes with knowing that we are both the cause and solution to our
problems: "The more we keep this up/The more we lag behind/The more we keep this
up/The more we have to fight/It keeps impressing me/that all hope is not lost/as we
try to deal with the path/of the few, that no one takes."
1592's This One's for You All is a complex album full of deep grooves and deeper
thoughts for our difficult and sometimes desperate times. But it also offers hope and
inspiration--wrapped in stellar songs--to anyone willing to listen.
The Duff Guide to Ska Grade: A
From - Duff's Guide

1592 (Eric Abbey, Jeremy Abbey, Italo Cianfarani, Steve Caldwell and a cast of drummers and
musicians) build their sound from roots-reggae, rocksteady and its influences. Since their 2007
debut, The Rise of the Fallen, 1592 have won a number of Detroit Music Awards and performed
with The Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals and the English Beat. Their new record, This One's for
You All, is an honest and tasteful throwback that presents an extraordinary range of diversity in
sound and feel.
Throughout Detroit's 1990s "third wave" of punk-infused ska, lead vocalist, keyboardist and
trumpet player Eric Abbey spent seven years fronting Superdot. He left the group to move to
Manhattan, where he crafted the songs that would eventually become Fallen.
"Detroit ... was still in the background of everything that I did, so that feel came through a lot
with the mix of the two cities," he says. "I've always come from a punk background so I always
write darker lyrics, or darker chord structures. I think that's what really makes our group
different.
"The whole point of 1592 and reggae and rocksteady in general is to try to get that groove focus
... it's meant to be pretty simplistic. But then we try to add layers of complexity to it."
Elements of two-tone, jazz, R&B, soul and dub are given degrees of predominance over selfaware
and socially-conscious lyrics. "We work with a lot of reggae artists," he says. "There's
something that they vibe about us and the music because we have that kind of darker tinge to it.
"I think a lot of people try to sound like somebody else," he points out. "If you're trying to put
something on, or fake appearance, people in Detroit don't have time for it. They read right
through it. Unlike other cities, Detroit is ... hardcore when it comes to that. Nobody can be fake
here and survive. It's really hard to play in Detroit. It's hard to book shows. It's hard to get
crowds. And because of that, when there's a great show in the city it's the best feeling in the
world." | RDW
1592's This One's for You All record release party w/ Mayaeni & more • 10/23, 9 p.m. • Black
Lotus Brewing Company • 1 E. 14 Mile Rd., Clawson • myspace.com/1592dub • free
From Real Detroit Weekly- 10/19/2010 - Real Detroit

1592 (Eric Abbey, Jeremy Abbey, Italo Cianfarani, Steve Caldwell and a cast of drummers and
musicians) build their sound from roots-reggae, rocksteady and its influences. Since their 2007
debut, The Rise of the Fallen, 1592 have won a number of Detroit Music Awards and performed
with The Skatalites, Toots and the Maytals and the English Beat. Their new record, This One's for
You All, is an honest and tasteful throwback that presents an extraordinary range of diversity in
sound and feel.
continued.... - Real Detroit Weekly

1592’s second full length album This One’s For You All has earned the Outstanding Reggae Recording of 2009 at the Detroit Music Awards. This is the fourth award 1592 has won and they sincerely thank their fans, family and everyone that has stood by the music in Detroit. The Detroit Music Awards are held each year and hosted by the Motor City Music Foundation. For a full review please check out The Duff Guide to Ska at http://duffguidetoska.blogspot.com/2010/11/duff-review-1592-this-ones-for-you-all.html 1592 have shows lined up in the area throughout the summer. Be sure to check out http://www.reverbnation.com/1592detroit for further information, tracks and general discussion. - Abbey Productions

Thursday, July 31, 2008
Interview with 1592 "Detroit Rocksteady"

What would it sound like if you took the darker grittier sound of Motown and gave it a rocksteady beat? What happens when musicians from different musical backgrounds come together in Detroit with a new ska and reggae twist? 1592 has captured that unique blend of ingredients and have emerged from the Detroit music scene as a band to watch out for.

Vocalist/keyboard player Eric Abbey recently talked to us and broke it all down.




You describe your sound as Detroit Rocksteady. Can you define that term?


Eric: The best way to describe Detroit Rocksteady is to think of how a group of Rocksteady musicians would fine living in a city like Detroit. The inspiration for the band came from my long time love of Ska, Reggae, Rocksteady and Dub but I wanted to infuse the feeling of the city into it. Rocksteady was such a great sound during its heyday and it reflected so much of the mentality of the times. The harsh surroundings of Jamaica set against smooth vocal harmonies over a splitting rhythm is what gets me every time I hear songs by the Heptones, Lord Creator and others.

When I started writing the material for 1592 I was living in Manhattan, after growing up in Detroit, and the feel of Detroit was what I kept coming back to. You have certain sounds on the coasts; NYC has a sound, the Slackers, King Django, etc. California has a sound, Hepcat, the Aggrolites, Chris Murray etc, and Detroit really hasn’t had a sound in the ska, reggae, rocksteady area in a long time. I wanted to take the gritty side of the city and infuse the sound of Rocksteady into it. The biggest thing that we went for was to not sound the same as other groups around but to have the same feel. You have to Rock- steady or the sound doesn’t work.

The rest is available at http://musicaloccupation.blogspot.com/2008/07/interview-with-1592-detroit-rocksteady.html
- http://www.musicaloccupation.com

Who would expect a legit dubby, rootsy, reggae act to come out Detroit? Their debut album The Rise of the Fallen is drum and bass heavy and filled with positive vibrations. The production quality is perfect and the echo-y doubled up vocal tracks in Stranded would make Lee Perry smile. Vocalist/keyboard man Eric Abbey writes thought provoking lyrics without coming off as preachy or holier then thou, like many reggae singers. The guitar and sax solos are tasteful and like most reggae music follow the ‘less is more’ mentality. In the title track Rise of the Fallen, 1592 is at their best, with a sing along type refrain that will stick with you long after your first listen.

-Jonathan Leeder

http://www.starpolish.com/artists/critics/index.asp#2 - Starpolish